(Archive) Craft Portrait: Dorozome

Craft Portrait: Dorozome

In the tradition of Dorozome -a traditional Japanese mud-dyeing technique- only the final black colour is given a name. The process colours remain anonymous, as invisible as the complexity of this fascinating contemporary craft.

Designers Satomi Minoshima & Pauline Agustoni wanted to challenge such simplification of contemporary craftsmanship. How to see beyond the final product of such a full and complex process to communicate the rich backdrop of Dorozome?

Their installation accentuates the repetition of the artisans’ movements throughout the completion of their craft, highlighting the background processes and behind-the-scenes colours of the craft. Their research book complements the installation by introducing 11 interviews of Dorozome artisans they worked with in Japan.